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Monday, February 26, 2007

Public Speaking : PACE YOUR INTENSITY

by Jim Tunney, EdD, CSP, CPAE

Public speaking audiences expect intensity. They like it. They arrive wanting an 'experience.' They want the emotion, the meaning, the sense. To develop the speaking flow and energy that delivers that to them, use variation in pace in the same way a major league pitcher uses a change-up to keep the hitter concentrating. Monotones moan. Variety electrifies.

In music, it is the pause of silence between the notes that makes the melody. Include such pauses. They allow your audience to mentally massage and absorb your message. Use silence as a partner.